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Topic: Relocating Hives? (Read 1243 times)

I put in a pond this year and now the water is rising. My girls will be close to the shoreline and I want to relocate them to another spot higher up and now it is Winter. What is the best way and best time to relocate the hives. I am only traveling a few hundred yards? Thanks for all the help! Merry Christmas to all!!!!

I don't know where you are located but if it is below 40 degrees F and stays that way, just get someone to help you move them. Get your new site all set up. Close the entrances, carefully and gently pick them up and move them. I would do it in the morning to give them time to settle down before nightfall. When they been in the hive for long periods, they will re orient when they come out. A common trick for doing splits is to lock them in for a few days so that they re orient to the new location. Jim

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"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."--Mark Twain

I like a dolly and towards the evening, but it probably doesn’t matter too much. As the others have said, they will re-orientate to their new location if the cool/cold weather has kept them cooped up for a few days. I try to avoid the night since I’m clumsy enough to trip on something and end up with a real mess. :shock:

I like to move in the morning, strap the hive together, and use a dolly. I have some door screen appr. 3 inches longer than the bottom openning rolled up that I use hive tool to push in the openning. I like to cut a small limb or two and place in front of hive. A few hours after the move I remove the screen and replace entrance reducer. Good luck with your move.

An older fellow past away two years ago, the son didn't want anything to do with the beehive. It was in January, not too cold, I went one evening and stuffed some window screen into the opening. Next morning my son and I put them on the truck and drove less than a quarter mile to set them up at my home. I put some nearby branches (some bushes with leaves still on) in front of the hive. They had no problem getting used to a new location.

One important caveat to the above comments. When moving hives during the cold of winter, it is very important that the cluster not get shaken, especially to the point of coming apart. During winter the clustered bees seem to get much angrier and sometimes will ball the queen in such cases. Beek won't be aware of it until spring when he/she will find a demoralized hive with no queen and wonder what happened to an otherwise strong Fall hive. OMTCW

One of the things that worries me about moving hives in the winter is waking the bees up. If they get disturbed too much they can muster up enough energy to fly and try to defend the hive. The problem is if a bunch of bees fly out into 32F/0C weather, they are likely to die. So be gentle moving hives this time of year. :)